“my mind doth perk”

5:19AM (at work)

So today (Sunday), inbetween sleeping stints, I watched as Kelly Clarkson read and responded to some of her “fan” replies on Twitter. There was some creep who apparently text’d her many times about her body…I read two of them, both in close proximity to one another and stating the likes of `i miss when u had a smokin body!’ and ‘i miss when u had washboard abs! like in the walk away music video, u looked amazing! u always showed ur bellybutton’. Kelly at first replied she gave them up for a Life, and eventually replied to the dolt the likes that he’s creeping her out and “here’s a tip, stop being weird dude”.

All these hours later, my mind keeps glancing back to those messages. Here’s the thing: this dude is not a fan of Kelly, that’s obvious. He is a fan of Britany “et al”. He is somehow under the impression that ALL women should look like Britany. That all women should always mould themselves to his particular view of “attraction” and that is their main purpose in the spotlight. Kelly did this at first, then realized she was unhappy and that it’s just not healthy for her. The creep must obviously consider her to have talent, he has remembered her name post-flat stomach. However, the fact that he spent his time and energy to spam her twitter with whining about her refusal to be unhealthy and perfect just amazes me. It shouldn’t, but it does. This idea out there that some men so thoroughly consider that women must revolve around *them* and their desires for our bodies – I mean …how, exactly, did this person expect Kelly to respond? “Oh I’m not sexy to YOU? I’m dieting right NOW then”. I wanted to respond to Kelly telling her that as far as *I’m* concerned she is simply Stunning and I love her beautiful Greek curves. But I didn’t, because of course hearing that from a woman would mean nothing to her, not flattering to her, the point is mute really.

Eventually Kelly gave up in frustration because her Twitter filled up with ridiculous nitpicking and replies to things she did not even say. This always baffles me: people claim to be fans of her, but never Listen to her…never actually READ what she writes. Just glance and jump on it. There was a lot of confusion among stupid people when Kelly gave a funny reply to a funny text of Miranda Lambert. The fact that the text was a reply was very, very clear. There’s no way to make it more clear – it’s just a normal twitter reply for godsakes. However, people cannot read and so Kelly instantly had a whole bunch of tweets to her about Miranda’s tweet assuming it was hers – people are incredibly lazy readers. Kelly is nice enough though she was concerned about the confusion and assumed she did something wrong with the technology and wasn’t clear enough. She was. People were just being stupid. Unfortunately, the stupid folk tend to dominate.

What’s most sad about this is that fan communication is so, so important. For Kelly not to be disconnected with her fanbase, but really to be down-in-it on a ground level, in the trenches sometimes right with the fans, and show an interest in keeping communication open – this is so very important for a career of today and strong lasting power. You tend to be more loyal to people you’ve actually had some form of communication with (met them, talked with them, got a message from them, whatever – can form a bond of sorts). Plus, it’s an open opportunity to get to know some people who are looking at you, free information for your own growing wisdom of the world. The amount of people willing to Give you not only their adoration but information from their lives…so many lives lived…the woman has a near infinite well of vicarious life experience to grow from. What she hasn’t seen, she can understand and be wiser from because it’s in the eyes and mouths of her fans. This is a golden jewel that so many celebrities seem to miss seeing, understanding: your talent grants you an open door not only to wealth, a better life and adoration of masses – it grants you an open well of personal growth and wisdom, if you’re paying attention. A unique perspective of the world because you can see it through so many individual eyes. But then again, many just want the wealth and blind adoration LOL. I think the deeper enriching in communication is worth so much more. I suspect Kelly is a person who cannot live on money and blind adoration alone. That’s empty, would leave you so empty. Giving all of yourself individually, but not allowing yourself to get anything individually from the fans – only en mass. En mass just doesn’t grant as much. People end up Empty.

Unfortunately, a lot of the stupid folk that misread and don’t understand are the ones that get through to Kelly. And thus, she will most likely give up and retreat again into some shell, frustrated. She’s willing to be open, but that means having to shuffle through so much of the stupid and creepy to have a good direct line to the rest. I really hope she doesn’t give up and keeps going. In the long run the open line to her fans, two-way, would prove such a blessing.